I sat on the edge of my bed, staring silently up at the dark ceiling of my dorm room.
The weight of Headmaster Myrra’s proposal hung heavy in the quiet space. ’Should I actually accept becoming her disciple?’
She was undisputed as the strongest cultivator in the realm, and her sharp intellect proved it, she had seen right through my disguise almost instantly. I should have bought a high grade concealing artifact to alter my physical frame before entering the academy. A careless mistake on my part.
I leaned back against my pillow, resting my arm over my eyes as my thoughts raced.
What did she mean when she said she couldn’t read my fate? Is it directly linked to my reincarnation? Does my soul exist outside the natural laws of this world? And what is her ultimate goal? Is it connected to the impending "Ruin"? Is she planning to sacrifice an anomaly to alter the outcome?
There were too many unknowns. Yet, the advantages were undeniable. Becoming her disciple meant access to high tier guidance, rare resources, and an accelerated path toward power.
The drawback is the target it puts on my back, I mused, narrowing my eyes. Myrra has never taken a disciple, she has rejected every high noble lineage in the empire. If the public finds out she chose an obscure, low born cadet named Ares, I’ll be dragged straight into high society political schemes. Every faction will want to test me or eliminate me.
I let out a long, quiet sigh, turning my head toward the window.
I don’t want to be confined or controlled. But my goal requires overwhelming strength. ’Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.’
I closed my eyes. I’ll sleep on it first and decided to give her my answer tomorrow.
...
The next morning, the sunlight streamed through the tall windows of the Class S lecture hall.
I sat near the middle row, resting my chin on my palm as I stared blankly out at the courtyard, completely lost in my own thoughts.
Tap. Tap.
A gentle nudge hit my shoulder. I blinked, turning my head to find Ansel leaning sideways, whispering out of the corner of his mouth. "Hey, Ares.... The instructor is calling you."
I looked up toward the podium. The female instructor stood with her arms crossed, her eyes fixed sharply on me. "Cadet Ares. Since you aren’t paying attention, should I assume you already know today’s subject and find my lecture boring?"
"No, ma’am," I replied smoothly, keeping my face completely neutral.
"Then focus on the lesson," she instructed sternly before turning back to the chalkboard.
"Yes, ma’am."
Subtle whispers instantly rippled through the surrounding desks.
"Guess he was thinking about Lady Ciel... that’s why he’s totally out of it today."
"For real, look at him staring out the window like that..." a girl giggled softly. Find the original chapter at g.com.
I ignored the background noise, keeping my eyes on the board for the remainder of the period. The moment the bell chimed for the afternoon break, I stood up, left the classroom before Ansel or Aria could drag me into a conversation, and walked straight toward the administrative sector.
I reached the faculty wing and stopped before the grand secretary’s desk.
"I wish to see the Principal," I stated quietly.
The secretary looked up, adjusting her glasses. "Wait a moment, please." She reached for a communication rune on her desk, whispered a brief check, and looked back at me with a nod. "Go right ahead, Cadet."
I walked down the quiet hallway, stopped at the heavy ironwood doors, and knocked twice.
"Enter," Myrra’s voice echoed from within.
I pushed the doors open. Headmaster Myrra sat behind her desk, holding a sleek black cat in her lap, gently stroking its fur while it purred softly.
"Greetings, Headmaster," I said, offering a subtle bow.
Myrra nodded gently, her pale, sightless eyes lifting toward me. "Your presence here means you have reached a decision."
"I have," I replied firmly.
"And what have you decided?"
"I accept your offer to become your disciple," I stated, keeping my posture rigid. "However, I have two conditions."
A faint curve touched her lips as she continued stroking the cat. "Name them."
"First, you will not announce to the academy or the public that I am your disciple. We keep this relationship entirely secret," I said coldly. "Second, I retain total autonomy over my actions. I will not be restricted or chained to administrative orders."
Myrra looked at me for a brief second, then let out a soft, amused chuckle. "If that is all... then it is settled. I accept your conditions."
I stood straight, crossing my arms. "So... what now?"
"Your very first lesson," Myrra said calmly, "it is to achieve your Tier 3 breakthrough."
I frowned slightly. "I’ve been attempting it using monster cores, but I keep hitting an absolute wall. There is no breakthrough."
"That is because you are still not viewing the spirit animal as a part of yourself," Myrra explained, setting the black cat down onto the floor. "And to truly bridge that gap... you need a near death combat scenario."
I stared at her in disbelief, my mind instantly jumping to a defensive calculation. ’A near death scenario? What does she mean by that? Is she about to beat me up right here in her office?’
Reading my guarded posture instantly, Myrra shook her head with a faint smile. "Calm down. You need to fight an opponent who already exists at Tier 3 to absorb the true sensation of Spirit Manifestation. You must feel the pressure of a manifested soul against your own. Think of your spirit animal not as an external weapon or copy mechanism, but as your own soul and your soul as your body. That way, the divide will disappear." Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
I kept my eyes locked on her, my brows furrowing further. "I don’t follow."
Seeing my continued confusion, Myrra stood up from her chair and walked around the desk, stopping a few feet away. "Let me explain it in simpler terms. Tell me, Ares... according to your understanding, what makes a complete person?"
I drew upon the logic of my past life and replied plainly. "A body and a soul."
"Correct," Myrra said softly. "Now, think of your current physical self, your meat, bone, and core as the body without a complete soul. And view your spirit animal as that missing soul. Up until now, you have treated them as two separate entities working together. But they were always meant to be forged into one single completion."
She held up two fingers. "Tell me... does a three year old child possess the same mental capacity and understanding as a twenty year old adult?"
"No," I answered.
"Why?"
"Because a three year old child doesn’t understand right from wrong yet," I reasoned.
"Correct," Myrra praised gently. "And what allows that child to mature? What makes them learn right from wrong? At what stage do they grasp reality?"
I pondered her words for a moment before answering. "Conscience, experience, and upbringing."
"Precisely," Myrra said, her voice turning sharp and focused. "Right now, your understanding of your own spirit animal is like that of a three year old child. You need to develop that internal conscience. You need to stop commanding your spirit animal like a tool, and start thinking of it as yourself."
She paused, letting the weight of her words sink into the silence.
"I know this is a massive wave of information to absorb at once," she added, her tone softening. "So digest it carefully, and prepare your resolve. I am taking you to fight a live Tier 3 monster. Naturally, I will step in if things become truly dire."
I stood silently in the center of the office, processing the profound logic behind her words. The barrier I had hit during my meditation wasn’t a lack of mana, it was a fundamental flaw in my perception of my own soul.
"Are you ready to head out as you are?" Myrra asked, watching my expression resolve.
I checked my tunic and blade. "No problem."
Myrra stepped forward, instantly blurring across the distance to appear right in front of me. Before I could even react to her speed, she placed her hand gently onto my shoulder.
VRRRRRRRMT.
The space around us suddenly warped violently. The walls of the office twisted, sound vanished, and the fabric of the room compressed inward like folding paper.
In the very next instant, both of us vanished from the office entirely...